Ecuador: death of an indigenous person in the anti-government demonstrations

An Amazonian native died on Tuesday June 21 during a

with law enforcement during the 9th ninth day of protests against the Ecuadorian government, a leader of a group of organizations told AFP. defense of human rights.

Read alsoDemonstrations in Ecuador: the president declares a state of emergency in three provinces

“There was a confrontation and this person was hit in the face, apparently by a tear gas canister

,” said lawyer Lina María Espinosa, from the Alliance of Human Rights Organizations.

This 40-year-old man, from the Quechua people, was part of a group of demonstrators who blocked the Amazonian town of Puyo, south of Quito.

In the night from Monday to Tuesday, a young man died after falling into a ravine during the demonstrations and the prosecutor's office decided to open an investigation for alleged homicide.

The powerful Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie), which participated in the revolts that overthrew three presidents between 1997 and 2005 and led the violent demonstrations of 2019 (11 dead), has been organizing marches and barricades since June 13 to demand a lower fuel prices.

Thousands of indigenous people began a peaceful march towards central Quito from the south on Monday.

Several hundred also arrived from the north in the capital of three million inhabitants.

In addition to the price of fuel, the demonstrators denounce the lack of jobs, the granting of mining concessions in the indigenous territories, the absence of control of the prices of agricultural products and a renegotiation of the debts of the peasants with the banks.